Then I love this whole page of resources to learn about the winter for the upper grades (6 to 12th). I always strive to maintain the fun and hands-on ideas even in the upper grade.

Look at at just a few of the things on this super page.

From the site:

Lesson Plans

Storm Clouds Students in grades 6-12 use CERES cloud data and a weather map to explore cloud coverage during a winter storm.

Getting Physical: The Physics and Other Science Behind Winter Olympic Sports Students in grades 6-12 research, write, and perform sportscasts that explain the physics behind their favorite sports in these cross-curricular activities.

Glacier National Park: “Hibernation-Migration Fascination” Students in grades 7-12/ compare two different types of hibernation — the hibernation of bears and marmots.

They have several free unit studies. I happen to like unit studies that are more loosely written with more information and less emphasis on grade level.

What I like most about these is that each unit study contains a lot of useful links which helps to flesh out your study on that topic.

Just to let you know though you do have to fill out some personal information to download them instantly. The form asks for your name, address and email. You do not have to give a phone number.

I usually don’t recommend websites like that unless they have some juicy tidbits that are worth downloading.

The units from Homeschool Learning Network are: The Mayflower – Journey to a New Life,Deserts of the World, Understanding Emotions, The Vikings, Planning Your Music Curriculum, Robert Louis Stevenson, Afghanistan and Greek Literature:Homer and Aesop.

I agree with this next resource which says that kids know more about Pokemon creatures than they do about real animals.

Take a lesson from what most kids like to do which is play cards and use it for real life learning. Phylo the Trading Card Game did just that.

It has been a real treasure trove for my boys to say the least and it’s FREE.

Phylo is a website that has free printable trading cards. Here is what it says from the site: an online initiative aimed at creating a Pokemon card type resource but with real creatures on display in full “artistic” wonder. It is a card game that makes use of the wonderful, complex and inspiring things that inform the notion of biodiversity.

Studying and learning science this way is a real keeper. The artwork is so beautiful and the cards are just plain fun.

The idea is to print off all you want to and then play a pokemon-like game. Even if you don’t want to print the rules and find out how they assign the game cards a point value, etc., you can still play a real simple matching game.

The cards make EXCELLENT additions to your lapbook, unit studies or notebooking pages. There are several decks to choose from or like I mentioned you can print off exactly what you want. Click here to see the choices of the decks that you can download and be sure to grab them ALL!

One of our favorite decks has the cards above in it from the Natural History Museum in London. One of the games suggested to play is about the ecosystem.

Look on the card for the common name, Latin name, food chain, diet and climate and then learn the facts.

Heads up too because you will want to pay attention if any of them teach evolution as there are many cards to go through.

Most of them I appreciate because they give a simple fact along with a point value assigned if you want to let your kids play together. They also give credit to the artist of the picture.

We have just enjoyed printing them off and learning about them.

Hands down this site has been our favorite so far if we had to choose one. Here are some quick links for you in one place.

Here is what it says: Student’s measure sporadic meteor activity. In this physics and astronomy lesson plan, students construct a dipole antennae, and build, test and wire a full wave diode rectifier between the dipole antenna and the laptop.

Comet Cookies

Then of course no unit study is near complete unless some eating or snacking is involved, both of which we enjoy.

So this next download is extremely helpful too because besides having the fun recipe above, it explains the difference between meteor, meteoroid and meteorite.

It has a star map for the current year, eclipse guide, a Nasa sun poster, make a telescope craft (middle picture above), a star party pack (star biscuits above) or how to host a star party and how to buy a telescope guide to name just a few.

You want to be sure to download all of the fun and free freebies.

I love these freebies for learning about the sky.

So I read this quote as I ponder the lessons we can learn from the sky.

Maybe it will spark you to keep looking to the sky to keep your day lively.

By reading the scriptures I am so renewed that all nature seems renewed around me and with me.

The sky seems to be a pure, a cooler blue, the trees a deeper green.

The whole world is charged with the glory of God and I feel fire and music under my feet.

I actually like winter homeschooling, but I also like change. So when I need inspiration I look to the ocean or sea to inspire me. Did I tell you that I grew up close to the ocean?

Winter Homeschooling – From Humdrum to Humdinger. (well, okay, okay)

I have fond memories of walking on the beach even when the weather was cold, collecting shells and afterwards grabbing a hot cup of southern gumbo. It brings calm to my day when I ponder about it.

Creating this series will allow me to share ideas I rounded up to give us a boost when we sag, while at the same time saving these links and ideas here on the blog for later.

I tend to get a lot of attitude pep in my step this time of the year.

One tip that has saved me several bucks over the years is to determine first if it’s the curriculum, winter homeschooling doldrums, my attitude or all of it when we feel like blah.

Before I make a change, I try new activities, preferably free and see if I can find my rhythm again. I find many times, it is wanting a change during winter homeschooling.

But, if you get the blahs during winter homeschooling, maybe you can use some of these links and get wild and savage.

Too, be sure to download everything you like from these sites because links can change and even if you don’t use them until several years down the road, you will have them. The sites I wanted to focus on today are Independence Seaport Museum. and Project Oceanography and The Mariners’ Museum. All of these sites have multiple packets, free lesson plans or guides to download.

Hands-On Homeschooling

A lot of them with tons of wonderful pictures and printables. I took just a snippet of some of the printables from each site to share with you. Mark these, download and peruse them.

Click on each packet and you will be kept happy sorting through links, lesson plans and downloads. A snippet from The Mariners’ Museum has quite a few projects that are hands-on and in pdf form. Scroll to the bottom of the page for the printable activities.

This is probably my favorite of the three sites because it has such a treasure trove of things that are easy and hands-on.

Ready for winter now.

Oh, wait, four more days of goodies to go. Here they are below!

Day 1- Look to the Sea. Winter Homeschooling – Activities and Free Downloads. 5 Days of Look Alive.

Day 2 – Look to the Sky. Winter Homeschooling – Activities and Free Downloads. 5 Days of Look Alive.

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I know officially it is not winter, but it already feels like it here. Hoping to have a few activities to pull of out my bag when the kids are bored and the days are long and cold, I rounded up some activities to keep us learning. Some of them are easy and don’t take quite as long and others a little more involved. We always keep back some chalk pastels too and our easy books for doing seasonal pastels.

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